Soupruary 11th: Butternut Squash with Pears and Ginger

It was ginger night, and not a redhead in sight! A travesty!


Location:
My apartment, which smelled so good I was tempted to lick the walls.

Attendees:
Charlie, Joshua, Me


Menu:
Ginger fried rice
Butternut squash soup with pears and ginger


Entertainment:
Television! Live! In my apartment! First time ever! Exclamation point!

The Soup:
I feel like that French figure-skating judge or something. Nothing I say about the soup should be trusted because I've been bought and paid for by the rice.

But oh, that rice. In case you didn't click on it above, here's a second chance. And a third. It might be my new favorite food. I don't often repeat recipes, but this one is going into regular rotation. RICE.

Ok, ok...this blog is about soup. It was totally fine. Not earth-shattering, not as exotic as it sounds--I think it needs more ginger and more texture. The recipe called it a chowder, but to me a chowder needs to be chunky--I don't think it should be all smoothified.


OH, GEEZ. Just realized I was only supposed to puree half the soup. Now I feel like I did it a serious injustice (and I like I need to dust off my reading comprehension skillz).


After all, it was a nice mix of sweet and tangy, and the pears were crisp and lovely. Whatever. Did you make that rice yet?

Adapted from Stephen Pyles' Southwestern Vegetarian

2 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and diced
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup peeled and diced Vidalia or Spanish onion
1 rib of celery, diced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon peeled minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced (about 3 cups)
1 Yukon Gold potato, diced
5 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup orange juice
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a small bowl, cover the pears with the lemon juice. If the lemon juice doesn't quite reach, add enough water to fully cover. Set the bowl aside.

Heat the oil over high heat in your soup pot. Add onion, celery, and carrot, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute, stirring. Add white wine and cook for 3 minutes, or until the wine has mostly disappeared.

Drain half of the pears, and set the other half aside. Add the drained pears to the pan with squash, potato, and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Use an immersion blender to puree HALF THE SOUP UNLESS YOU'RE CORRIE AND YOU DON'T LIKE TO READ PROPERLY. Add orange juice, lemon juice, cream and reserved pears until it reaches a nice temperature (not boiling).

Soupruary 10th: Chickpea and Leek

Oh, boy, has it been a week, and we're only at the halfway point. Ended up staying late at work and changing the soup plan (switching today's for tomorrow's) because I was tired and stressed and cranky. Thankfully, being in my tiny kitchen always makes me feel better, no matter the day I've had.

The other thing that always makes me feel better? Jamie Oliver. He never disappoints. And with this soup it was as though he knew precisely how I think food should taste.


It was so good. It was so, so good. I know you're reading that it's chickpea and leek and thinking Uhhhh...chickpea and leek? That is either weird, or boring. Also if you switch the vowels around it's "pee" and "leak" and that's just disgusting. (Wow, sorry about that. My mind is shot (see: stress, work).)

Back on track: THIS SOUP IS DELICIOUS. It was so delicious that I had this war going on between my mouth and my brain.

Brain: Eat it supersuperfast because it's so good and you don't want any soup thieves to take it away from you!
Mouth: No, you don't understand! It's so good that I literally cannot chew quickly because I want to taste that forever and always!
Brain: But the thieves!
Mouth: Yeah, I KNOW. But srsly, if they stole that they'd probably see the light, repent, and turn from their sordid lives of soup-stealing!

It went on like that for a while.


This is my favorite soup of the year so far, and Josh liked it too. I usually don't change Jamie's recipes at all, but that whole being late coming home from work thing meant that I majorly did not want to go to the store, and thus necessitated I sub extra sharp aged white Cheddar (which I had) for his recommended Parmesan (which I didn't). The Cheddar had a nice bite and saltiness, plus a bit of nuttiness, although admittedly not as much as the Parm would've. Still--if you haven't noticed--this soup was awesome. I served it with a little rainbow slaw, but I would've eaten it all on its own. I realize I haven't described the taste at all, and I just keep saying how awesome it is, but that's just because I was way too happy to be eating it to worry about describing it.


Also: Dangerously quick, cheap, and easy. The most strenuous part was washing the leek rings, and all that takes is water and a colander.

One more thing: Thanks to Josh for taking iPhone pictures since I left my camera at Kendall's last night!

Adapted from Jamie Oliver's The Naked Chef

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 dash of olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 leeks, white and light green parts sliced into rings and thoroughly rinsed
1 14-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth, separated
1/4 cup grated sharp white Cheddar (or 1/2 cup grated Parmesan--Jamie's way)

Heat olive oil and butter in pot over medium heat until butter is melted, then add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add leeks and cook until soft and even more beautiful, about 10 minutes.

Add chickpeas and 2 cups vegetable broth. Using an immersion blender, puree about half the soup, leaving it chunky but thick (or remove about half and puree it in a regular blender).

Add remaining broth and bring to a boil. Add cheese, reduce heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I only needed to add pepper, no salt), and serve with additional grated cheese if desired (I did not desire).

Soupruary 9th: Fisherman's Soup

My pitch: The island relocates to a spot in the Ligurian Sea, nestled between Tuscany and Corsica. Inspired by the Mediterranean climate and the local waters, erstwhile fisherman Jin whips up a quick soup. Sawyer takes a bite, turns to Kate, and says "Now that's amore, Freckles," and the whole crew of Losties breaks out in song.

Tell me that isn't Emmy-winning storytelling.


Location:
Kendall's apartment, Downtown Cincinnati

Attendees:
Kendall, Mandy, John, Josh, me


Menu:
Fisherman's Soup
Cannelini, tomato and mozzarella salad

Entertainment:
Lost Season 6 Episode 3, which is actually airing in the second week so it feels like episode 2 and I'm pretty sure they're cheating us out of some show somehow.

The Soup:
They're calling it Snowpocalypse right now in certain parts of the country. I can't say it's that serious here--Our own snowstorm only brought us about 6 inches, but that's enough to really screw us up in Cincinnati. I braved the yuck and made it to Findlay Market, but some of my favorite vendors were closed, and some of those who were open weren't 100% stoked about it. Accordingly, this meal wasn't precisely what I wanted it to be (for instance, I wanted squid, and I really wanted my shrimp to be just a little more straight-from-the-sea), but hey: at least it happened.


This soup is called cacciucco in Italian, which means mixed but is way more fun to say.

The broth on its own, before the seafood was added, was megaflavorful. Probably not hearty enough to eat on its own, but if you added a pasta and maybe a nice leafy green, I'd totally eat that. In fact, depending on the quality of the seafood, that might even be better.

The really fun part of this soup, though, is what it does to the toast at the bottom of your bowl. What had so recently been solid, crispy bread quickly evolved into what felt and tasted like a big ol' pile of melted cheese in the most brilliant WillyWonkan fashion. I know wet, soggy bread sounds disgusting, but in reality it was nothing short of delightful.


adapted from Bon Apetit, May 2000

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 small pinch saffron
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 28-oz can diced or whole peeled plum tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
1 lb mixed firm, white fish (I used orange roughy and cod)
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 oz bay scallops
zest from one lemon

to serve:
additional chopped Italian parsley
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
crusty bread

Heat olive oil over medium heat in your pot, then add onion, celery and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes. Add parsley, rosemary, crushed red pepper and saffron and stir for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and cook, stirring, for another two minutes. Add white wine and cook until liquid evaporates. Add tomatoes (with juice) and vegetable broth--if using whole tomatoes, break them down into manageable pieces with your spoon. Bring to a gentle boil and cook down for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat your oven to 400F. Slice your crusty bread and brush each piece with a little olive oil, then place on a cookie sheet. Bake until nicely toasted, then remove and set aside.

Add seafood to your broth, and cook about 3 minutes, or until cooked through. Add lemon zest to soup and stir to combine.

To serve, place a piece of toast in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle soup on top of bread, then sprinkle with parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

One week in the bank

Me to Josh: "Well, I made it through the first week of Soupruary!"
Josh to me: "It's really only been ONE WEEK???"

A congratulations goes out to Mick, who's flying the Soupruary flag in North Carolina. Check out his first week of soup--great recipes and mouth-watering photos!

Soupruary 8th: Spinach Soup

Don't believe the hype: It's easy being green.


I ates it, and then Bluto got it right in the kisser!

Or viska versa.

Location:
My apartment, Downtown, Cincinnati

Attendees:
Josh, me

Menu:
Spinach soup
What's-in-the-fridge pasta
Leftover apple crisp (man, what a fancy Monday!)

Entertainment:
The West Wing season 3

The Soup:
An easy, unassuming soup for a quiet, rejuvenating evening.


There was one point of worry--a near spinachvalanche:

But it soon became much more reasonable:


This isn't the kind of thing I'd serve for company, really, but it was plenty satisfying. Super smooth, pleasingly bright green, and very...iron-y?--the addition of the potato gives this soup a surprisingly robust mouth-feel even though it still seems light. This is another soup I'd totally want to eat as leftovers for breakfast, and--in my strange system of judgment--that makes it a success.

adapted from the tempting blog Rachel Eats

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
1 handful frozen peas
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
1 pound spinach, washed well
2 1/2 cups water
thumb-sized chunk of Parmesan
dash of nutmeg
salt and pepper

Over medium heat, heat butter and olive oil in your pot until butter is melted. Add onion, carrot and celery, and cook until soft but not brown--10 minutes. Add peas and potato and stir to combine. Add spinach, a little at a time if necessary, stirring to combine. Add water and parmesan, and bring to a boil. Reduce hear, cover and simmer about 20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend until silky smooth. Season with a tiny dash of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with additional grated Parmesan and good, crusty bread.

Week Two Soupendar

Monday, February 8th: Spinach

Tuesday, February 9th: Fisherman's Soup

Wednesday, February 10th: Butternut Squash Chowder with Pears and Ginger

Thursday, February 11th: Chickpea and Leek

Friday, February 12th: Hot and Sour (with a Soupruary first: Guest cook Aron!)

Saturday, February 13th: Vegetable Barley with Poached Egg

Sunday, February 14th: Roasted Red Bell Pepper with Shrimp and Romano

Soupruary 7th: Borscht

I'm in love, and his name is Cuisinart 11-cup Food Processor. To prepare the vegetables for this soup, I broke out the shredder blade for its inaugural use. It was like seeing Ryan Adams for the first time. MAGIC.

Instead of chopping matchsticks for--oh, who knows, an hour?--I was done with all the prep in about 10 minutes, including peeling the potatoes and carrots and beets. I kept laughing out loud because it was just that awesome.

Oh, wait, what was I here to talk about? Borscht:

Is there a soup that sounds less enticing than BORSCHT? Cream of Celery might be able to give it a run for its money in that department--nothing sexy about that. But borscht sounds so harsh and poor and cold. But seriously, look at this passionate, celebratory soup:


Now tell me borscht isn't sexy.

Location:
The Rich Ranch (or Casa de Rich if you're Jeff (and a cheater)), The Westside, Cincinnati


Attendees:
Bill, Leslie, Kelly, Aron, Brent, Laura, Julie, Jeff, Joshua, me


Menu:
Latkes with sour cream and applesauce (by Bill)
Salted rye with honey and pickles (by Brent and Laura)
Assorted snax (by Bill & Leslie)
Borscht (by me)
White Russians and Bolsheviks (by Bill, our resident movie musical mixologist)


Entertainment:
Puppy Bowl (Go, Tater Tot!)
Fiddler on the Roof


Aron's dancing and balancing skills


My fatalistic socks


The Soup:
This soup was determined by the movie of choice for Sunday Night Movie Musicals--a new tradition for 2010 (Tradition...TRADITION!). The last time I had borscht was cold and in Lithuania, and before that was hot and in Belarus--I've never had it on American soil. Although I think we typically stereotype it as a cold soup, Wikipedia confirmed my suspicion that hot borscht is most popular in Russia, and with the day so cold, hot seemed to be the only viable option.


I made a double batch, so it's a good thing I liked it. Even with 10 people having decent-sized portions, I've got lunch covered for a few days. It's not necessarily something I would've thought to make without the film's prodding (they mentioned soup in the movie, and I was like YES!), but it's cheap, fast, healthy and filling--If that makes it peasant food, then call me a peasant.

This is fun, too: The beets turn your kitchen into a pretty realistic crime scene during preparation!

Cobbled together from various blogs and recipes

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large beet, peeled and cut into matchsticks or shredded in a food processor
2 medium red-skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into matchsticks or shredded in a food processor
2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks or shredded in a food processor
1 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded
6 cups vegetable broth
1 lemon
sour cream
chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat the oil in a large soup pot, then add potatoes, carrots, onion, and nearly all the beets--reserve a small amount to add at the end of cooking. Cook, stirring, for 5 to 8 minutes.

In another pot, bring vegetable broth to a boil.

When beet mixture has softened, add vegetable broth and cabbage to soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. At the end of cooking, add the reserved beet to brighten the color.

Squeeze lemon juice into soup to taste--soup should be pleasantly and subtly sour. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream, some parsley, and a nice turn of freshly ground black pepper.